Even before the first downhill skier opens the 84th Hahnenkamm Races on Friday at 11.30 am, the Streif has already seen its first hussar ride. Austrian YouTube and mountain bike star Fabio Wibmer is known for his extraordinary projects and breathtaking tricks. But conquering the icy slopes of the legendary Streif on his bike is a very special challenge for the native of East Tyrol.

"I grew up with the legend of the Streif, the race has always been very important to me. My parents' house is only about an hour's drive from Kitzbühel," explains Fabio Wibmer, who runs one of the most internationally successful and widest-reaching sports channels on YouTube and inspires millions of people worldwide with his mountain bike videos.

"The idea of implementing a project on the Streif had been in the back of my mind for a while. My team and I have been working for almost two years to make this dream a reality. Now it's a brilliant feeling after I've conquered the Streif, every jump has worked out and it's become a really cool video."

New territory "The Streif"

Starting slope, mousetrap, steep slope, Hausbergkante and finish jump: the Streif demands everything from the ski stars from the very first second. This also applies to bike pro Fabio Wibmer. With top speeds of up to 107 km/h, drop jumps with a height difference of up to 14 meters and a maximum jump distance of 36 meters, he pushes the equipment and himself to the limit to complete this project. How quickly you build up speed after a backflip from the start house, how steep the mousetrap is and the lack of
reference points in winter on snow to build up a feeling for the speed for his jumps and tricks are the biggest challenges for him.

The mountain bike pro has prepared intensively for this project, because in addition to physical fitness, mental strength and a lot of experience, the perfect equipment also plays a crucial role. "Setting up the bike for these unusual conditions with snow, ice and cold involves many nuances such as suspension or the right tire pressure," emphasizes the 28-year-old and thanks his crew for the months of preparation for the Streif adventure. "Together with ice speedway icon Franky Zorn, I created the perfect spikes for the bike in the summer in order to have enough grip on this unusual surface. At first glance, you don't realize how much work and how much teamwork goes into every detail to make a project like this a reality."

(Bike) homage to the best skiers in the world

"Kitzbühel has always been a special place for skiing, and you can feel that as a child when you're cheering on the best downhill skiers in the world," says 28-year-old Fabio Wibmer. "When I think back to the Hahnenkamm races, one of the most memorable moments for me was Bode Miller's so-called wall ride in the steep slope exit. It was precisely these unique moments that inspired me and I really wanted to incorporate them into my project "The Streif". And of course, my personal Streif wall ride on the bike was a must."